pitayita

Definitions

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

n. In Mexico, one of several fruit-bearing cacti which climb upon the trunks and limbs of trees by means of roots; especially Cereus compressus, a plant with 3-angled branches rooting at the joints, and large fruit with a pleasant sweet-acid flavor.

n. In southern Mexico, one of several species of Epiphyllum, sometimes called pitayita de agua, especially Epiphyllum angulifer, E. latifrons, or E. phyllanthoides, plants with flat, crenated, leaf-like branches, having a mid-rib and lateral veins, and handsome white or red flowers growing from the crenatures.

n. In Lower California and several islands of the Gulf of California, Cereus striatum, a straggling, weak-stemmed cactus, which hangs over rocks and bushes for support. It has large, fleshy roots, which are sliced and dried, and offered for sale as a remedy for maladies of the throat and lungs.